Estes Mean Machine
Estes - Mean Machine {Kit} (1295) [1978-1998, 2007-2013, 2018-]
Contributed by Jim Zamecnik
| Diameter: | 1.64 inches |
| Length: | 79.00 inches |
| Manufacturer: | Estes  |
| Skill Level: | 2 |
| Style: | Sport |
Brief:
Modified for use with the PerfectFlite microAlt 4600 dual deployment altimeter.
Added a 6" long altimeter bay and a 12" long forward main chute bay
to the lower half of the Mean Machine. (new section made from recycled tubes
and couplers from a SuperNova Payloader)
Modifications:
The lower half is a stock Mean Machine (a bit shorter due to a crash). Nose
cone is also the standard Mean Machine cone. The altimeter bay is made from the
6" section of tube, bulkheads glued into couplers, couplers fasten to tube
with nylon screws/nuts for access to altimeter. Screw eye and ejection charge
terminals mounted to each bulkhead. Holes for altimeter sampling drilled in
tube per altimeter instructions. the 12" tube becomes the forward chute
bay, fastened to the top coupler with nylon screws/nuts for ejection charge
access. (nylon nuts are epoxied inside couplers; lube threads first with RMS
grease to keep epoxy from sticking).
Construction:
Mean Machine - lower half (33.5"), and nose cone. From SuperNova Payloader
kit: 6" and 12" sections of tube, coupler. other parts: 3" BT-60
coupler, two 0.25" plywood bulkheads, screw eyes, 0.25" shock cord, 6
nylon screws/nuts, misc. wire and connectors for altimeter hookup.
Flight:
Loaded with the altimeter, battery, and chutes made the weight too much for
Estes D12 motors. First flight was on an Aerotech E18-7 RMS, and it went
perfectly. Dead-straight boost, 12" chute ejected at apogee (880' per the
altimeter), 20" main chute deployed at 300', and recovery 100' from pad. I
hope to fly it on an F24-7 motor at the 2/25 CATO launch; see my flight logs
for future flights.
Summary:
I sort of tossed this together as a quick way to try out my new altimeter. But
it worked out pretty well, and it should be fun to fly dual deployment flights
on small fields with. It seems to fly as straight and true as the stock Mean
Machine did.
Other Reviews
- The not so mean machine By Chris Hurtado (October 9, 2023)
The not so mean machine with a rocket called the mean machine, you’d expect it to growl at you and shake you down for your lunch money. Instead, it’s more like the classic “gentle giant”. One can hardly apply “mean” to simple night. 6ft is impressive though and usually draws a crowd along with my home but launch rig and control. Now, it is pretty awesome how high this gentle giant can ...
- Estes Mean Machine By John Gordon
Brief: This is a tallllll single stage, 24mm rocket with a 24 inch parachute. There are four (4) body tubes, a standard 24mm motor mount, four (4) balsa fins and a plastic nose-cone. I deviated from the standard paper shock cord mount. I bought this kit and let it sit in a closet for about 4 years. Went to my first HPR launch and got the bug again. The instructions were simple, but I ...
- Estes Mean Machine By David Austerberry
This is a classic Estes kit that has been in production for quite some time. It is a single staged rocket with a large length to width ratio and the launches are impressive for a low power kit. The long airframe is built by coupling four standard BT-60 body tubes. The kit comes with four die-cut balsa fins and two cardboard centering rings. Recovery is done with a 3/16" shock cord nearly 3 ...
- Estes Mean Machine By Jordan Hiller
(by Jordan Hiller) The most attractive thing about the Estes Mean Machine is its size. While it's only a BT-55 body tube, the rocket is about 6 ½ feet long! Building is quite simple, since this is just a very long 3FNC model. The instructions are straightforward, and the only tools you really need are the ones you need for every other rocket (sandpaper, hobby knife, glue, etc.) ...
- Estes Mean Machine By Scott Danielson
Construction: Rating: 4 out of 5 points This is a great 1st D engine kit. It's over 6 feet tall. The overall construction was a snap. This kit was pretty simple to build. Just take your time when gluing the coupler and body tubes together. THEY HAVE TO BE ALIGNED PERFECTLY! The couplers were EXTREMELY hard to fit in the body tubes, and because of this my tubes are kind of bent. ...
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Flights
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